Biodegradability of oxidized poly(vinyl alcohol).

Poly(vinyl alcohol) dehydrogenase (PVADH) purified from Pseudomonas sp. 113P3 catalyzed an oxidation of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in the presence of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) to give a beta-diketone structure on PVA. Although PVADH oxidized not only enzymatically oxidized PVA but also chemically oxidized PVA, PVA-degrading microorganisms, Pseudomonas sp. 113P3 and Arthrobacter tumescens sp. 52-1 grew on the enzymatically oxidized PVA, but not on the chemically oxidized PVA. This suggests that the growth of PVA-degrading microorganisms is affected by the structure of oxidized PVA.